Illuminated directional signal for elevators



Jan.

ILL UMINATED DIRECTIONAL SIGNAL FOR ELEVATORS Filed Feb. 20, 1922 5 j edzc/ ATTO NE Patented Jan. 12,1926.

FlCE.

raanz A. nonn'rcnnn, or BERGENFIELD, New messy.

ILIiUMINATED DIRECTIONAL SIGNAL FOR ELEVATOBSl Application filed February 20, 1922. Serial No. 337,740."

' To all whom it may concern:

1 Be it known that 'I, FRANZ A. BonnToHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bergenfield, in the county of Bergen and Stateof New Jersey,,have invented a certain new and useful Illuminated Directional m is a specification.

- or down from a next elevator car and so automatically as Signal for Elevators, of which the followhis invention is particularly directed to elevator signals adapted to be positioned at the various floors of a building to notify intended passengers of the direction of an approaching elevator car,- so that after an intended passenger has pressed a floor button, he can readily observe the approach of the partake of a positn from which he can readily enter the car after the car has stopped at a floor and the floor door' been o ened. 1 Such elevator signals usually contain the words up or-down and are associated with electric circuits controlled by the movements of the-car, so that the signals light up the carapproaches the respective floors.

It has been the practice in making signals of this character to stamp the words up" plate of sheet metal, form casing in which a lamp is positioned and in order to preclude the entrance of dust or dirt into the casing, the cut-out portions of the .sheet metal late are usually sealed by glass letters, w ich are cast and set in'as inlays into the cut-out parts of the plate. With such constructions, the

ing the front of a illumination of the interior of the casing -.open to many disadvantages.

will cause the letters to be lighted up and consequently they may be readily seeni The construction specified however is Aside from being expensive to manufacture, there is an "ever present tendency of the glass letters conditions.

fallingout of the plate and this is particularly the case, when the plate is cleaned by a porter.

The object of the present invention is to provide a signal of the character described, which will not facture, but will be more durable and in fact practically indestructible under all ordinary In carrying out the present invention in .its preferred practical form, I utilize a relatively thick plate or sheet of glass in one face of which is impressed the letter, letters or ymbols whichit is desired to embody 111 preferably cast into only be economical" to manup but showing the signal, and these which are in the form of depresslons are the plate from one face thereof. The face of the plate from which the depression or depressions extend is preferably covered with a coating of some suitable substance to render that portion of the letters or symbols plate exceptthe depressed portions thereof opaque, although instead of such a coating the said face of the plate may be frosted. This plate I employ has the front wall of a casing adapted to contain suitable illuminating means, such for example as an electric lamp. The lamp may color if it is desired to havethe signal appear colored, or th e lamp may be of the conventional kind and the front plate may be backed up by a colored back plate in the form of a sheet of colored glass.

The front or recessed plate may have one or more letters or in, butin any event, the lighting up of,,these symbols from the recessed side of thefront plate will, by virtue 'ofrefracting qualities of the glass at the base of the recess give very brllliant lighting effects, which enables the signal to be read from any angle and imparts to the letters or symbols the effect of raised letters. It will be noted however that the exposed face of the front plate is continuous readily cleaned or polished u by a porter or attendant without fear of ge.

Features of the invention, other than those specified, will bea parent from the here'- inafter detailed escription and claim, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. i

he accompanying drawings illustrate one practica embodiment of the invention, but the construction shown therein understood as illustrative only, and not as defining the limits of'the invention.

Figure 1 shows a signal with an associated illuminating lamp in perspective.-

Figure '2 is a on the line 2-2 of Figure 1-; and,

Figure 3yis a view similar to Figure, 2, the parts dissociatedwith re 'spect to one another.

be of any desired and uninterrupted and may be symbols depressed there- 1 is to be sectional perspective taken While the present invention may differ in details of construction or in letters or in symbols from the showing in the accomf panying drawings, I have illustrated an up signal embodying the letters u. and p for the purpose of illustration.

20 3 in Figure 3.

Moreover, each of these letters is shown through that portion of the plate 1 at the as a separate unit, two units. being associbase of the depression is subject to the re- 60 ated with one another to produce the comfractive qualities of the glass from which plete signal. the front plate 1 is formed and if the sides 5 The invention comprises a sheet or plate of the depression converge toward the base of glass 1 which in the preferred form of thereof, t e refractmg qualities will cause the invention constitutes afront plate. the letters or symbols to stand out in sharp 66 This plate has molded in the back thereof a contrast to the remainder of the plate, so

depression or recess 2, which is in the form that they will appear as raised letters or of a symbol, letter or other character, such symbols of unusual brilliancy and can be for example as the letter u. seen from practically any angle. I may The side walls of the de ression prefer however in employing the signal of this in- 7 ably converge toward the base of the devention, reverse the position of the parts,

pression, though this while preferred is not and utilize the plate 1 as a back plate and 16 essential. The back or recessed face of the the plate at as a front plate. In this confront plate 1 is rendered opaque in any suitstruction, the letters will appear sunken or able manner, and this can be conveniently in relief. 75 accomplished by applying a coating of When the plate 1 is employed as a front some suitable opaque substance as shown at plate, a smooth uninterrupted surface is presented whichanay be cleaned without fear of The front plate 1 is preferably, though breakage or the dislodging of the letters as not essentially, backed up by a back plate 4, has been the case in prior constructions. 80 which is preferably of transparent glass, The present invention after being initially though frosted glass may be used for this set up or assembled will last practically forpurpose if desired. ever and is not dependent for its use upon In practice, the front plate 1 .and the back adhesives or cements for holding'the parts plate 4 constitute an element back of which in assembled relation.

is adapted to be positioned a lamp 5. The. The signal of the present invention is ecosaid element may be one of a groupof elenomical to manufacture, easily cleaned,

ments formed in substantially the same manmore, brilliant in its lighting effects and ner as described and may constitute the more durable than prior constructions. front wall of a casin in which the lamp 5 While particularly adapted for use in the 90 is positioned so that t e lamp 5 when illumelevator arts as a signal, it is adapted for inated will illuminate the depressions 2. If general use and the structure shown in the 35 it is desired that the letters show up in drawings may be changed in details as by color, the back plate 4 may be colored and the substitution of equivalents without deany form of incandescent light 5 employed. parting from the invention, which is to be 95 On the other hand, the back plate 4 may be understood as broadly novel as is commensucolorless and 'a colored lamp 5 may be emrate with the appended claim.

40 ployed. Having thus fully described the inven- In grouping a plurality of front plates 1 tion, what I claim as new and desire to seembodying different letters or symbols assocure by Letters Patent is:

ciated with one another to make up the de- An illuminated signal for elevators emsired signal, a back plate 4 ma be used for bodying a plate of glass one face of which 18 each front plate 1 or a single ack plate of provided with a depression in the form of a sufficient size to cover the back of all the character or symbol, the undepressed porassembled front plates may be employed. tion of said face being opaque, a source of Moreover, the front plate may be made suflight positioned adjacent the opaque face of ficiently large to carry a lurality of letters, the plate and adapted to illuminate the desymbols or the like an thus obviate the pression in said face so that said depression necessity of grouping a plurality of front will appear. from the opposite face of the plates together to ma e up the dwired sign. plate as illuminated, and a color screen po- 11 In the preferred manner of carrying out sitioned between the base of the depression the present invention, the plate 1 constiand the source of light.

5 tutes the front late and the lamp is posi- In testimony whereof I have signed the tioned rearward y of the back plate 4. This foregoing specification. assembly 1s recommended for the reason that the light from the lamp 5 in passing FRANZ A. BOEDTCHER. 

